Telecommunication network designs vary depending on the terrain, the density of the population, existing infrastructure, and other factors. Optical fiber networks in fiber to the end user networks and in the backbone for wireless networks, such as fiber to the antenna (FTTA) networks, are displacing conventional digital subscriber line or DSL copper networks. Installing a completely new optical fiber telecommunication network along beside of the existing coper network can be cost prohibitive due to space or aesthetic reasons. Therefore, network providers are seeking to take advantage of previously acquired rights of way, city pad permitting, cable conduits, vaults, etc. by replacing, the copper wire and connection blocks in existing street cabinets with optical fiber components. In some cases, adding fiber cable management and connection facilities to the existing copper cabinets, operators can take advantage of existing (underutilized or never used) capacity by expanding the existing cabinet capacity within existing right of ways to share both copper and fiber components.
Some service providers have a large embedded base of legacy copper networks that they would like to utilize to add fiber passive optical network (PON) splitter cabinets in densely populated cities or other areas where it is very difficult and time consuming to obtain new rights of way or permits from government or regulatory.
Adding fiber cables and pre-terminated harnesses into an existing copper cabinet risks the potential damage to the fiber optic pigtails or fan outs and also, if not protected, risks the potential to cause tight bends in the fibers that can lead to increased attenuation of the waveguide. Existing copper cross connect cabinets have limited space, possibly less than or equal to 6 inches in depth, to accommodate the optical fiber overlay network so that it can co-exist with the copper frame and cross connect copper termination blocks. Because the existing copper cabinet is already in place, the fiber network components need to be easy to load within the existing copper cabinet, including easy introduction of the fiber optic cables into the existing cabinet.
There is a need in the telecommunication industry for a new deployment model for fiber optic networks that positively impact the quality, speed and cost for the future deployment of high speed networks for fiber to the drop point (FTTdp), fiber to the home (FTTH) and wireless network infrastructure.